Method of treating Acquired Immunedeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) using organic tellurium and selenium derivatives

ABSTRACT

A method for the treatment of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome is disclosed, which is based on the administration of a tellurium derivative of the formula: ##STR1## wherein Q is Te or Se; t is 1 or 0; u is 1 or 0; v is 1 or 0; R, R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , R 8 , and R 9  are the same or different and are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, hydroxyalkyl of 1 to 5 carbons, hydroxy, alkyl of from 1 to 5 carbon atoms, halogen, haloalkyl of 1 to 5 carbon atoms, carboxy, alkylcarbonylalkyl of 2 to 10 carbons, alkanoyloxy of 1 to 5 carbon atoms, carboxyalkyl of 1 to 5 carbon atoms, acyl, amido, cyano, amidoalkyl of 1 to 5 carbons, N-monoalkylamidoalkyl of 2 to 10 carbons, N,N-dialkylamidoalkyl of 4 to 10 carbon, cyanoalkyl of 1 to 5 carbons, alkoxy of 1 to 5 carbon atoms, alkoxyalkyl of 2 to 10 carbons atoms and --COR 10  wherein R 10  is alkyl of from 1 to 5 carbons; and X is halogen.

This is a divisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No.07/107,131, filed Oct. 9, 1987, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,962,207, which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 06/782,129,filed Sept. 30, 1985; which is U.S. Pat. No. 4,761,480; which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 06/712,549,filed Mar. 15, 1985, now abandoned; which is a continuation-in-part ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 06/599,511, filed Apr. 12, 1984, nowabandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is well known that the growth of normal lymphocytes is dependent notonly on contact with an antigenic substance or a mitogen, but also onthe presence of certain growth factors known as lymphokines. One ofthese growth factors is known as T-cell growth factor (TCGF) betterknown as interleukin-2 (IL-2). The discovery of this growth factor(Gillis, et al., Nature, 268; 154 (1977) and Ruscetti, et al., J.Immunol, 119; 131 (1977)) resulted in the large scale growth and cloningof T-lymphocytes as sources for IL-2.

The lymphocytes or white blood cells in the animal body come in twotypes, B-cells and T-cells. The B-cells produce antibodies in the formof immunoglobulins that bind onto invading organisms while the T-cellsproduce the lymphokines which are responsible for turning B-cells on oroff. See for example Cell. Immunol. 36:15 (1978); J. Cell Physiol. 96:53(1978); Eur. J. Immunol. 8:681 (1978); Immunol. Rev. 54:188 (1981);Immunol. Rev. 54:158 (1981); J. Exp. Med. 154:1500 (1981); NationalCancer Institute Mon. 60:211 (1982); Int. J. Cancer 28:157 (1981); ThePotential Role of T-Cell Subpopulations in Cancer Therapy, Eds. A. Fefer& A. Goldstein, Raven Press, N.Y. pp 173 et seq. (1982); J. Immunol,128:(258) 1982.

The known types of lymphokines include, in addition to IL-2, B-cellfactors, macrophage activation factor (MAF), Interleukin-3 (IL-3),Colony Stimulating Factor (CSF), Tumor Necrosis Factor, and otherfactors produced by monocytes such as Interleukin-1 (IL-1) and GammaInterferon. All of these factors are secreted by white blood cells andare collectively known as cytokines. Great attention has been given tousing various recombinant DNA techniques and other methodologies forcloning normal T and B cell lines that can produce these materials. Seefor example Nature 259:130 (1976); Immunology 32:319 (1977); Exp. Hemat,8:494 (1980); Nature 283:581 (1980); Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.78:1858 (1981); J. Immunol. Methods 49:1 (1982); Nature 29424/31 697-699(1981), all of which are incorporated by reference.

The present invention is based on the discovery of a class of syntheticorganic derivatives of tellurium or selenium that are capable ofstimulating cytokine producing cells to produce significant quantitiesof cytokines both in vivo and in vitro. This discovery makes possible anovel therapeutic approach in the treatment of cancer, immunedeficiencies, autoimmune diseases and infectious diseases.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide novel compoundsbased on tellurium or selenium that are useful as therapeutic agents.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a novel method forproducing in vitro cytokines such as lymphokines and induce receptors tothese cytokines.

It is also an object of the invention to produce in vivo cytokines suchas lymphokines and produce in vivo cytokines such as lymphokines andinduce receptors for cytokines for the treatment of diseases such ascancer, immune deficiencies, autoimmune diseases and infectiousdiseases.

It is also an object of the invention to provide novel pharmaceuticalcompositions that are based on tellurium compounds that producecytokines in vivo and in vitro.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The derivatives of tellurium or selenium that are useful in the presentinvention includes those compounds of the following general formulaswhich stimulate cells to produce lymphokines: ##STR2## wherein Q is Teor Se; t is 1 or 0; u is 1 or 0; v is 1 or 0; R, R₁, R₂, R₃, R₄, R₅, R₆,R₇, R₈ and R₉ are the same or different and are independently selectedfrom the group consisting of hydrogen, hydroxyalkyl of 1 to 5 carbons,hydroxy, alkyl of from 1 to 5 carbon atoms, halogen, haloalkyl of 1 to 5carbon atoms, carboxy, alkylcarbonylalkyl of 2 to 10 carbons,alkanoyloxy of 1 to 5 carbon atoms, carboxyalkyl of 1 to 5 carbon atoms,acyl, amido, cyano, amidoalkyl of 1 to 5 carbons, N-monoalkylamidoalkylof 2 to 10 carbons, N,N-dialkylamidoalkyl of 4 to 10 carbons, cyanoalkylof 1 to 5 carbons, alkoxy of 1 to 5 carbon atoms, alkoxyalkyl of 2 to 10carbon atoms and --COR₁₀ wherein R₁₀ is alkyl of from 1 to 5 carbons;and X is halogen; while the potassium salt is illustrated, it isunderstood that other pharmaceutically acceptable salts are within thescope of the invention. The compounds with the five membered rings arepreferred.

As used herein and in the appended claims, the term alkyl of 1 to 5carbon atoms includes straight and branched chain alkyl groups such asmethyl; ethyl; n-propyl; n-butyl, and the like; the term hydroxyalkyl of1 to 5 carbon atoms includes hydroxymethyl; hydroxyethyl;hydroxy-n-butyl; the term haloalkyl of 1 to 5 carbon atoms includeschloromethyl; 2-iodoethyl; 4-bromo-nbutyl; iodoethyl; 4-bromo-n-pentyland the like; the term alkanoyloxy of 1 to 5 carbon atoms includesacetyl, propionyl, butanoyl and the like; the term carboxyalkyl includescarboxymethyl, carboxyethyl, ethylenecarboxy and the like; the termalkylcarbonylalkyl includes methanoylmethyl, ethanoylethyl and the like;the term amidoalkyl includes --CH₂ CONH₂ ; --CH₂ CH₂ CONH₂ ; --CH₂ CH₂CH₂ CONH₂ and the like; the term cyanoalkyl includes --CH₂ CN; --CH₂ CH₂CN; --CH₂ CH₂ CH₂ CN and the like; the term alkoxy of 1 to 5 carbonatoms includes methoxy, ethoxy, n-propoxy, n-pentoxy and the like; theterms halo and halogen are used to signify chloro, bromo, iodo andfluoro; the term acyl includes R₁₆ CO wherein R₁₆ is H, or alkyl of 1 to5 carbons such as methanoyl, ethanoyl and the like; the term arylincludes phenyl, alkylphenyl and naphthyl; the termN-monoalkylamidoalkyl includes --CH₂ CH₂ CONHCH₃, --CH₂ CONHCH₂ CH₃ ;the term N,N-dialkylamidoalkyl includes --CH₂ CON(CH₃)₂ ; CH₂ CH₂CON(CH₂ CH₃). Compounds which are based on tellurium are the presentlypreferred compounds of the invention. The tellurium based compounds thatare preferred include those of the formula: ##STR3## wherein X ishalogen. The preferred halogen species is chloro. These compounds arecapable of inducing lymphokine production such as IL-2 formation as wellas the proliferation of IL-2 producer cells and the activation of IL-2receptor sites.

Useful dihydroxy compounds for use in the preparation of compounds ofstructure A or B, include those of formula I wherein R, R₁, R₄ and R₅are as shown in the Table:

                  TABLE                                                           ______________________________________                                         ##STR4##                      (I)                                            R         R.sub.1     R.sub.4       R.sub.5                                   ______________________________________                                        H         H           H             H                                         H         Cl          H             H                                         H         OCH.sub.3   H             H                                         H         COOCH.sub.3 H             H                                         H         H           CN            H                                         H         CHO         H             H                                         H         H           COOH          H                                         H         CH.sub.2 COOH                                                                             H             H                                         H         H           CHCOOCH.sub.3 H                                         H         I           H             H                                         H         H           Br            H                                         H         H           CONH.sub.2    H                                         H         H           CH.sub.2 OH   H                                         H         COOH        H             H                                         ______________________________________                                    

Other dihydroxy compounds for use in the preparation of compounds A andB include those of formula II wherein R, R₁, R₂, R₃, R₄ and R₅ are asshown in the Table:

    ______________________________________                                         ##STR5##                     (II)                                            R   R.sub.1  R.sub.2  R.sub.3 R.sub.4  R.sub.5                                ______________________________________                                        H   H        H        H       H        H                                      H   H        Cl       H       H        H                                      H   CH.sub.2 OH                                                                            H        H       H        H                                      H   H        OH       H       H        H                                      H   H        H        CH.sub.3                                                                              H        H                                      H   H        H        CH.sub.2 Cl                                                                           H        H                                      H   H        H        COOH    H        H                                      H   H        H        CH.sub.2 COOH                                                                         H        H                                      H   H        H        CHO     H        H                                      H   H        H        H       H        CH.sub.2 CHO                           H   H        CONH.sub.2                                                                             H       H.sub.2  CH.sub.3                               H   H        H        CN      H        H                                      H   H        H        H       CH.sub.2 CONH.sub.2                                                                    H                                      H   H        H        COOCH.sub.3                                                                           H.sub.3  H                                      H   H.sub.3  OCH.sub.3                                                                              H       H        H                                      ______________________________________                                    

Other dihydroxy compounds for use in making compound of formula A and Binclude those of formula III wherein R, R₁, R₂, R₃, R₄ and R₅ are asshown in the Table.

    ______________________________________                                         ##STR6##                     (III)                                           R   R.sub.1    R.sub.2  R.sub.3                                                                            R.sub.4  R.sub.5                                                                           R.sub.8                                                                            R.sub.9                        ______________________________________                                        H   H          H        H    H        H   H    H                              H   H          Cl       H    H        H   H    H                              H   H          H        H    Br       H   H    H                              H   H          OCH.sub.3                                                                              H    H        H   H    H                              H   H.sub.2    CONH.sub.2                                                                             H    H        H   H    H                              H   Br         H        H    Br       H   H    H                              H   H          H        H    CH.sub.2 COOH                                                                          H   H    H                              H   H          Cl       Cl   H        H   H    H                              H   CH.sub.2 COOH                                                                            H        H    H        H   H    H                              H   H          CH.sub.3 H    H        H   H    H                              H   CH.sub.3   H        H    H        H   H    H                              H   CH.sub.2 Cl                                                                              H        H    H        H   H    H                              H   H          H        I    H        H   H    H                              H   CH.sub.2 CN                                                                              H        H    H        H   H    H                              H   H          H        H    CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 OH                                                                   H   H    H                              ______________________________________                                    

Additional dihydroxy compounds include those of formula IV wherein R,R₁, R₂, R₃, R₄ and R₅ are as shown in the Table.

    __________________________________________________________________________     ##STR7##                                (IV)                                 R  R.sub.1 R.sub.2                                                                             R.sub.3                                                                           R.sub.4                                                                             R.sub.5                                                                          R.sub.6                                                                              R.sub.7                                                                         R.sub.8                                                                          R.sub.9                             __________________________________________________________________________    H  H       H     H   H     H  H      H H  H                                   H  H       Cl    H   H     H  Cl     H H  H                                   H  H       Cl    Cl  H     H  H      H H  H                                   H  H       CONCH.sub.3                                                                         H   H     H  Br     H H  H                                   H  H       Br    H   H     H  CON(CH.sub.3).sub.2                                                                  H H  H                                   H  H       H     OCH.sub.3                                                                         H     H  H      H H  H                                   H  H       H     H   OCH.sub.3                                                                           H  H      H H  H                                   H  H       H     H   CH.sub.2 COOH                                                                       H  H      H H  H                                   H  H       COOH  H   H     H  H      H H  H                                   H  CH.sub.3                                                                              H     H   H     H  H      H H  H                                   CH.sub.3                                                                         H       H     H   H     CH.sub.3                                                                         H      H H  H                                   H  CH.sub.2 CH.sub.3                                                                     H     H   H     H  H      Cl                                                                              H  H                                   H  CH.sub.2 CN                                                                           H     H   CH.sub.2 OH                                                                         H  H      H H  H                                   H  H       H     I   H     H  H      H CN H                                   H  CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 COOH                                                                H     H   H     H  H      H H  H                                   H  H       CHO   H   H     H  H      H H  H                                   H  H       H     F   H     H  H      H H  H                                   __________________________________________________________________________

The compounds are made by combining substantially equimolar amounts oftellurium tetrahalide with a dihydroxy compound in a suitable reactor atroom temperature or at elevated temperatures up to the refluxtemperature. It is preferred to avoid using any solvent. The preferredmethod requires heating the reaction mixture to about 60°-90°,preferably 80° while stirring the reaction mixture with a suitablemagnetic or mechanical stirrer. The reaction may be carried out for asufficient period of time to ensure complete reaction of the reactants.This time will vary with the reaction conditions, the particularcompound being made. An appropriate salt such as an alkali metal halideor ammonium halide is added to the reaction mixture at the start of thereaction. Suitable salts include potassium chloride and ammoniumchloride. The reaction may be run at atmospheric pressure but ifdesired, it may be carried out at reduced or elevated pressure. Thereaction is preferably carried out in the presence of an oxygencontaining atmosphere such as air but inert atmospheres such asnitrogen, argon, helium or mixtures thereof may be utilized if desired.Reaction times of 1 minute to 168 hours may be used although reactiontimes of 6-16 hours are preferred.

The reactor should be of glass construction or lined with glass or otherceramic material that is inert with respect to the reactants.

Usually the compounds produced in the process will precipitate as thereaction mixture is cooled to room temperature. Precipitation may alsobe effected by adding a suitable precipitant such as a liquid alkanesuch as hexane or by concentration of the reaction mixture by solventremoval by evaporation with or without the aid of vacuum. The productmay be collected in a sintered glass filter, washed with a cold solventand dried using conventional techniques. The product is stored in asuitable container, protected from light, and preferably at reducedtemperature to avoid decomposition.

The solvent system for administration of the compounds of the inventionmay be based on dimethylsulfoxide or lower alkanols such as ethanol andpropanol, glycols such as ethylene glycol, glycerol, propylene glycoland the like. The preferred solvent system is a phosphate bufferedsaline solution which contains an amount of sodium acid phosphate andsodium phosphate in water to give a pH of 7.1-7.2 (PBS).

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the presence of a reactivegroup that will interfere with the synthesis of a particular compoundwill require the use of a protective group that is removable using knownmethods.

The compounds of the invention may be administered to mammals fortreatment of cancer, immune deficiencies, autoimmune diseases andinfectious diseases using amounts that are effective in each condition.The treatment will alleviate the symptoms of these diseases by causingthe mammalian body to produce increased amounts of lymphokines. Theinvention also includes the in vitro production of increased amounts ofcytokines such as lymphokines and or their receptors and the use ofthese materials and/or as therapeutic agents to be administered tomammals for the alleviation of cancer, immune deficiences and infectiousdiseases. It is contemplated that the composition of the invention maybe used in combination with other anti-cancer chemotherapeutic agentssuch as cyclophosphamide.

The term cancer is used to include leukemia and solid tumors that arisespontaneously, by contact with a carcinogenic agent, by irradiation orby oncoviruses. These conditions are well known to those who are skilledin the art and include such conditions as adrenal tumors, bone tumors,gastrointestinal tumors, brain tumors, breast tumors, skin tumors, lungtumors, ovarian tumors, genitourinary tumors and the like. The MerckManual 13th Edition, Merck & Co. (1977) describes many of theseconditions. Pages 647-650; 828-831; 917-920; 966; 970-974; 1273, 1277;1371-1376; 1436-1441; 1563; 1612-1615 of the publication areincorporated herein by reference.

The term immunodeficiency diseases is used to describe a diverse groupof conditions such as Acquired Immunedeficiency Syndrome (AIDS)characterized chiefly by an increased susceptibility to variousinfections with consequent severe acute, recurrent and chronic diseasewhich result from one or more defects in the specific or nonspecificimmune systems. Pages 205-220 of the Merck Manual 13th Edition describemany of these conditions and they are incorporated herein by reference.

The term autoimmune diseases includes disorders in which the immunesystem produces autoantibodies to an endogenous antigen, with consequentinjury to tissues. Pages 241-243 of the Merck Manual 13th Editiondescribe these conditions and they are incorporated herein by reference.

The term infectious diseases includes those pathologic conditions thatarise from bacterial, viral or fungus organisms that invade and disruptthe normal function of the mammalian body. Pages 3-149 of the MerckManual 13th Edition describe these conditions and they are incorporatedherein by reference.

The compounds may be administered orally, parenterally,transcutaneously, topically or by contacting mucous membranes. Thecompounds may be administered orally in capsules or tablets that may beprepared using conventional excipients, binders, disintegrating agentsand the like. The parenteral route is presently preferred andcompositions may be prepared by dissolving the compound in a suitablesolvent such as an aqueous buffer and dimethyl sulfoxide or glycerol.The parenteral route may be intramuscular, intravenous, intradermalusing a sustained release carrier or subcutaneous. The concentration ofthe compounds in combination with a pharmaceutical carrier is notcritical and is a matter of choice. Remingtons Practice of Pharmacy,9th, 10th and 11th Ed. describe various pharmaceutical carriers and isincorporated herein by reference.

It has been found that a number of the tellurium compounds useful in thepractice of the invention will hydrolyze in the presence of water. Thesehydrolyzed compositions are active in vivo and in vitro although thehydrolyzed compositions eventually decompose and lose their ability toinduce lymphokine secretion. For this reason, the compositions should befreshly prepared. If the compounds are administered orally in dry form,they are active in inducing the production of lymphokines. Preferably,the compounds should be kept under anhydrous conditions until just priorto being used.

It has been found that certain compounds such as TeO₂ alone will inducelymphokine production in producer T-cell lymphocytes in vitro and invivo but it will not cause proliferation of lymphokines in producingcells such as IL-2 producer cells or activate the receptor site inresponder T-cell lymphocytes. Thus the invention also contemplates theuse alone of TeO₂ and tellurium compounds that are active as lymphokineinducers.

Topical compositions may be prepared by dispersing the compounds in ahydrophillic or hydrophobic cosmetic base. Petroleum jelly or commercialpreparations such as Oil of Olay may be used. The concentration may befrom 0.0001-5% on a weight/weight basis.

The dosage of the compounds of the invention used to stimulatelymphokine production or treat the specific disease condition describedherein may be varied depending on the particular disease and the stageof the disease. Generally an amount of the compound may be administeredwhich will range from 0.05×10⁻³ to 1×10⁻³ g/Kg of body weight andpreferably from 0.1×10⁻³ to 0.5×10⁻³ g/Kg of body weight. For example adosage of 1-3 mg per day for a 75 Kg mammal is contemplated as asufficient amount to induce lymphokine production but the dosage may beadjusted according to the individual response and the particularcondition that is being treated. For the treatment of AIDS 1.0-9.0 mg/m²may be given IV three times a week. In addition, the compound of theinvention may be administered concomitantly with agents such as9-(1,3-dihydroxy-2-propoxymethyl) guanine (DHPG); and/or AZT.

In addition to treating the mammalian disorders described hereinabove,the compounds may be utilized for veterinary purposes in the treatmentof viral and immune diseases that afflict horses, ungulates and fowl.These disorders may be treated using quantities of the compound that maybe used in treating the mammalian disorders described hereinabove.

For in vitro use, cells may be stimulated to produce lymphokines by useof 1×10⁻⁸ to 1×10⁻⁴, preferably 1×10⁻⁷ to 1×10⁻⁵ g of compound per 10⁶cells/ml.

Preliminary toxicity studies in mice have established an LD₅₀ of 300ug./25 g of body weight in 6 week old mice for the compound ofExample 1. The compounds may be used as anti-bacterial or anti-viralagents in plants or in animals. Virus infections such as West Nile virusinfections in mice are susceptible to the compound of the Example 1 at adose of 10 μg/day/mouse. Plant bacterial infections such as crown gallcaused by Agrobacterium tumefaciens may be treated or prevented by theapplication of a 0.1% solution of compounds of the invention.

The invention also contemplates a method for dissolving the compounds ofthe invention in an aqueous vehicle. This method comprises the use ofultrasound or mechanical agitation for an extended period of time whichwill dissolve the compound. Generally ultrasound is produced by atransformer which transforms 50/60 hertz, line voltage AC into highfrequency electrical energy which is coupled to a transducer. By usingpiezoelectric ceramics, electrical frequency is converted intomechanical vibration. Typical amplitudes of 0.0003 for 40 k Hz equipmentand 0.00007 to 0.001 for 20 k Hz equipment are useful. The transducermay be provided with a booster that is connected to a horn that hasmeans for conducting the ultrasound to a container that holds the liquidfor dissolving the compounds of the invention. Useful devices includesmall scale ultrasonic cleaners such as the Bronson instrument. It hasbeen found that solutions containing about 5 mg/100 ml of the compoundof the invention may be prepared by applying ultrasound for a sufficientperiod of time to provide an aqueous liquid containing the compound. Thetime required for this is usually 3 hours to 24 hours. High speedmechanical shakers such as a Tutenhauer shaker or waring blenders may beused for this purpose. The use of an electically operated agitator willcause the compounds to form a solution or dispersion after about 3 to 4hours of agitation.

It has been discovered that glycerol may be used in the preparation ofaqueous liquids that contain the compound. These preparations are thendiluted with an aqueous injectable diluent such as water, salinesolution etc. The preferred diluent is PBS.

The text of Ser. No. 599,511, filed Apr. 12, 1984 is incorporated hereinby references.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following examples are given to illustrate the invention and it isunderstood that they do not limit the scope of the invention.

EXAMPLE 1

0.01 mol of tellurium tetrachloride and 0.01 mol of potassium chloridewere added to 10ml of ethylene glycol. The solution was heated at 80° C.and stirred for 4 hours and then cooled to room temperature. A whiteprecipitate is formed immediately. The precipitate is filtered andwashed with a minimum of dry acetonitrile. The precipitate is collectedand dried in a vacuum for 5 hours. The yield is about 50% oftheoretical.

Analysis: Calc: 7.21, 1.20, 31.83, 38.43, 11.71. Found: 7.23, 1.16,31.76, 38.45, 11.60.

nmr (DMSO-d₆) (ppm): 4.4(S).

The product has the structure: ##STR8##

The product was tested and was found to stimulate the production oflympokines.

EXAMPLE 2

0.01 mol of tellurium tetrachloride and 0.01 mol of ammonium chloridewere added to 10 ml ethylene glycol. The solution was heated at 80° C.and stirred for 4 hours and then cooled to room temperature. After 8hours at room temperature, a white precipitate is formed. Theprecipitate is filtered and washed with a small amount of acetonitril.The precipitate is collected and dried in vacuum for 5 hours. The yieldis about 55% of theoretical.

Analysis: Calc: 7.66, 2.55, 4.47, 10.22, 34.02, 42.53. Found: 7.87,2.42, 4.54, 10.25, 34.26, 40.75.

nmr (DMSO-d₆) (ppm) 4.4(S), 7.2 (+).

The product has the structure: ##STR9##

EXAMPLE 3

IL-2 production from mouse spleen cells using the compound of Example 1was compared with IL-2 product as induced by the ammonium salt analog ofthe compound of Example 1 in mouse spleen cells at a concentration of10⁷ cells/ml Enriched RPMI containing 10% fetal calf serum wereincubated for 24 hours with varying concentrations of the compounds inthe presence of PMA (25 ng/m/cells). Supernatants were collected andtested for IL-2 acitivity using the IL-2 addicted cell-line CTLD.

    ______________________________________                                                                Supernatant                                           Concentration           (cpm)                                                 (μg/ml)      50%     25%                                                   ______________________________________                                        Example I                                                                     5                1,987   2,608                                                1               19,207  33,928                                                0.5             56,252  99,247                                                0.1             14,598   1,480                                                NH.sub.4 + Salt Analog Of Example I                                           5                 623    2,902                                                1               17,948  24,912                                                0.5             36,515  51,567                                                0.1             31,573  28,877                                                ______________________________________                                    

We claim:
 1. A method for the treatment of acquired immune deficiencysyndrome in a patient which comprises administering thereto an effectiveamount of a compound of the formula: ##STR10## wherein Q is Te or Se; tis 1 or 0; u is 1 or 0; v is 1 or 0; R, R₁, R₂, R₃, R₄, R₅, R₆, R₇, R₈,and R₉ are the same or different and are independently selected from thegroup consisting of hydrogen, hydroxyalkyl of 1 to 5 carbons, hydroxy,alkyl of from 1 to 5 carbon atoms, halogen, haloalkyl of 1 to 5 carbonatoms, carboxy, alkylcarbonylalkyl of 2 to 10 carbons, alkanoyloxy of 1to 5 carbon atoms, carboxyalkyl of 1 to 5 carbon atoms, acyl, amido,cyano, amidoalkyl of 1 to 5 carbons, N-monalkylamidoalkyl of 2 to 10carbons, N,N-dialkylamidoalkyl of 4 to 10 carbons, cyanoalkyl of 1 to 5carbons, alkoxy of 1 to 5 carbon atoms, alkoxyalkyl of 2 to 10 carbonsatoms and --COR₁₀ wherein R₁₀ is alkyl of from 1 to 5 carbons; and X ishalogen.
 2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the compound:##STR11##
 1. 0-9.0 mg/m² is administered IV three times a week.